Turbine locomotive



I Aug. 7, 1 928.

1,680,025 F. LGSEL TURBINE nocomonvn Filed Aug. 17, 1923 dmmrn, JMM M iii til]

Patented Aug. 7, 1928.

UNITED STATES FRANZ LGSEL, OF BRUNN, CZEGHOSLOVAKIA.

TURBINE LOCOMOTIVE.

Application filed August 17, 1923, Serial No.

The subject of the present invention is a turbo-electric locomotive and the object generally of the invention is a locomotive which may be driven either directly by the turbine, by electrical energy received from a power transmission line, or by both the turbine and the electrical energy received from the line, and moreover a locomotive in which both the braking energy of the locomotive or train and the surplus power of the turbine may be returned to the line.

Locomotives built in accordance with the invention are particularly suitable for oper ation on roads which are only partly electriiied and which possess widely varying gradients, since such a turbine can operate with equal facility and efiiciency on both the electrified and on the non-electrified parts of the line. While on the electrified part of the line the excess power produced by the turbine can be given up to the net work and a heavy demand upon the locomotive can be met by a withd "awal of the current from the net work. An automatic balance of the greatly varying loads is thus obtained and particularly during alternating up hill and down hill runs, the excess energy being supplemented on the down hill runs by the braking energy of the train. Other advantages are the ease of regulating the speed of travel and the stopping and starting of the train. The turbine itself can thus work uninterruptedly with a most favorable and economical load, asmaller consumption of fuel and a more economical operation resul ing. Moreover the stopping and starting of the turbine on arrival and while standing at stations, which is so disadvantageous with condensation working, is not necessary, and since speed can be regulated by electrical switches or the like, controlling devices for the turbine itself need only be very simple and in some cases may be omitted. The invention also renders unnecessary the provision on the locomotive of accumulators for storing up electricity.

It is clear that the invention offers advantages for both wholly electrified or partly electrified tracks and particularly for tracks in which the current is obtained from water power which is often insufiicicnt for heavy traffic or during the dry months. By mixed operation on such a track with purely electrical trains and turbine locomotives built in accordance with this invention, this occasional lack of energy can at any time be 657,843, and in Germany December 27, 1922.

supplemented in a simple, inexpensive and economical manner.

One embodiment of the invention is illus" trated diagrammatically in the accompany ing drawing.

In the embodiment shown the transmis sion line or net work is indicated at n and the turbine unit by t anda dynamo electrical unit 5/ is indicated as connected with the transmission line n, by means of the line conductors Z and Z and the controlling switch mechanism indicated at E3. The turblue 25 is mechanically coupled to the dy name unit 9', by means of a clutch .2 adapted to be engaged or disengaged by the operation of a hand wheel or the like (omitted for convenience in illustration). In the embodiment shown the dynamo electric unit g2, functions both as a motor and a generator, as for example being in the form of an asyir chronous generator, and when run as a motor, power is transmitted to the locomotive axles by means of toothed gearing (not shown) directly from the generator or motor shaft, the drive being diagrammatically illustrated.

Experience with ships and with already known turbine locomotives shows that such toothed gearing operates quite satisfactorily, and even where large powers are to be transmitted, is sufliciently durable.

The turbine 15 drives the generator r/., and the latter drives the driving axles while the current produced by the generator is led through the switch to the net work 72. When uncoupled from the turbine t'" and connected to the not work a the generator g, acts as a moto and drives the axles alone and when coupled to the turbine t it may still act as an electric motor to drive the locomotive when the turbine power is insufficient to assume the whole load. On a down grade a part or all of the braking effort taken over by the generator an d the current thereby produced returned or delivered to the net work a.

(lbviously the power mi ght be transmitted to the locomotive axles from the turbine shaft or from both the turbine shaft and the generator shaft; and on new and b. For convenience in illustration I have locomotive and to either-generate electrical power as a generator or to receive electrical power as a motor, means electrically connecting said machine with a transmission line and a steam turbine mechanically coir pled with the locomotive and the dynamo electric machine so as to mechanically drive the locomotive and drive the machine as a generator.

3. In a turbo-electric locomotive of the character set forth in claim 2 including (lisconnectible couplings between the turbine and tlIGIOCOlnOtlVQ and between the dynamo electric machine and locomotive and a direct connection between the turbine and the dy namo whereby the turbine may drive the dynamo electric machine independently of the locomotive.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification.

FRANZ LOSEL. 

